Stalk-cutter



(No Model.)

L. M. REED.

STALK CUTTER.

Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

w 2 M ma W 6 0 m m 5 lo umo n m. Wishinglon, n. c

- frame with knives.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS M. REED, OF BURRTON, KANSAS.

STALK-OUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,627, dated October 18, 1887. Application filed January 27. 1887. Serial No.- 225,641. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEwIs M. REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Burrton, in the county of Harvey and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stalk-Gutters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in stalk-cutters, which are fully set forth in this specification and clearly demonstrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved stalk-cutter, in which the detachable rollersections are broken off to show the cutter- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the machine, the segmental roller-slats being partly removed. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a section of the spoke and segment and knife.

In the drawings like notations are used to designate similar parts appearing in the different figures, and,reference being had thereto, the letter A designates the frame of the machine,which consists of substantial side pieces, 1, provided with bearings 1 for the shaft of the cutter-cylinder, which'side pieces are connected at the front and rear by cross-pieces 2 3 and an intermediate cross-piece, 4. The frame may be strengthened by braces, as 5, at the corners, and between the cross-pieces 2 and A. are secured bearing-pieces 6, on which are bearings or keepers 7, in which are mounted the ends of a crank-shaft, 8. The tongue 9 is secured on the forward cross-pieces and properly braced,- as shown, and the hind end is rabbeted or chamfered off and set under a keeper, 10. p

The numeral 11 designates a detachable bar having its front end formed to set under the rabbet or chamfer of the end of the tongue and keeper and its rear end detachably secured to the rear cross-piece of the frame, as at 12.

The numeral 8 designates a crank bar or shaft, having its ends in bearings 7 and formed with crank-sections 13, which have chains 14 attached to them, which chains have their other ends fastened to the stalkgathering arms 15. These arms 15 are hung in bearings 16 on the under side of the front cross-piece of the frame, and operateindependently of each other.

At the middle of the crank-bar is secured a lever-bar, 17, to the free end of which is jointed or pivoted a hand-lever, 18, which is formed wit-h a rack of teeth, 19, which engages the standard 20, set on the detachable piece 11. It will thus be seen that by drawing the handlever back the lever-bar 17 is lifted, and with it the crank-sections, which lift the hooks or stalk-gatherers from a vertical position,and are so held, and the machine then may be turned in the field without danger to the hooks.

The letter B designates the shaft of the cutting and roller mechanism. This is journaled in the bearings 1 on the side pieces of the frame.

The letter O designates four skeleton wheels or spiders, having their hubs 2i fixed on the shaft B, to turn therewith, and arranged in pairs, as shown. The spokes or arms of these spiders are connected by segmental pieces 22, and the projecting ends of the spokes are shouldered, as at 23, to form seats for the knives. These segmental braces are of substantial thickness and curved to the circle fixed upon as forming the interior circle made by the detachable roller-plates. These segmental parts not only serve as a bed on which the roller plates rest, but also as braces to the spiders when the machine is used simply as a stalkcutter. The knives project above the ends of the spokes and serve to keep the rollers braced and the spiders also against lateral displacement.

When it is desired to use the machine as a roller only, I take off the detachable piece 11 and then bring into requisition the segmental roller-pieces D, which are made long enough to extend from one end of the knives to the other and extend and cover the space between the knife frames. These segmental rollerpieces are curved on the under faces to fit the curve of the segmental braces 22, and are thick enough to form a circle which lines flush above the cutting-edges of the knives. The rollerpieces are secured to the segmental braces by bolts 24, which have their heads sunk in the faces of the roller-pieces, substantially asshown.

A driverseat may be provided, as usual.

I am aware that the gathering-hooks of stalk- IOU cutters have been carried by a rocking ban mounted in some stationary part of the machine, and that such hooks have been connected with a hand-lever, whereby they might be lifted from the ground, and I make no claim to such construction, broadly; but I believe that I am'the first to have arranged and constructed the parts for efiecting this purpose as shown and described herein. I Having described my invention, what I claim 1s- 1. The combination, with the frame, of the gathering-hooks independently pivoted to the front cross-piece of the frame, a crank-shaft, 8, journaled on the frame and connected to said books by separate chains running from the cranks 13 to each of the hooks, and a lever to turn the crank-shaft and'lift the hooks sirnultaneously, substantially as described.

2. In a stalk-cutter, the combination of the from each other at their adjacent ends, and a segmental roller formed of detachable pieces D of a lengthequal to substantially the united length of the two series of knives and adapted to be detaohably secured to and carried by said spiders, substantially as described, and for the ries of spiders and knives, and segmental roll-V er-pieces D, substantially equal in length to shaft B,ada'pted to be secured to said spiders and to operate when bar 11 is removed, as specified. V

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. v

LEWIS M. REED.

\Vitnesses:

W. H. KIPP, ,D. F. MILLER. 

